The book I’m reading now:Enthralled:A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.

Sixteen of today’s hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new land-scapes and characters. But whether they’re writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.

Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.

Today I welcome Dana Michelle Burnett to the blog, you can read my review of her newest release, Spiritus, HERE.

1. When did you first start writing, and was there something in particular that inspired you?

I was writing my own odd little stories in elementary school. One of my favorite memories of my childhood was playing at my grandmother’s huge desk, sipping cola out of a brandy glass, and pretending I was Hemmingway. It was just always a part of me. While other little girls were dreaming of getting married, I was dreaming of traveling the world as a writer.

2. What first attracted you to the paranormal/urban fantasy realms when it comes to writing?

I love the idea that anything is possible and that the only limitations are my imagination. I wrote several short stories for literary magazines and felt a little confined having to work within the rules of reality. It is so exciting to come up with new stories and have no rules, anything is possible as long as I can come up with a way to explain it.

3. In regards to your own characters, who is your favorite and why?

Right now, my favorite character is Alastor from Spiritus. I guess because in my mind, he’s the perfect man. He loves so deep that he crosses the line between life and death. He is sexy, but not in a stereotypical way.

4. What other genres (besides your own) do you enjoy reading?

I love Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and even some older stuff. I love Gone With the Wind, Frank McCort, and Rebecca Wells. I began reading Amanda Hocking a while back and she’s quickly becoming a favorite too.

5. If you could not be a writer, what would you be?

I suppose I would have a home décor business again. I took a brief hiatus from writing after my daughter was born and for a few years worked with my mother in her home décor business. When my dad became ill, I took over the day to day operations. When he died and my mother retired, I began running the business alone. It was fun, but it was nothing compared to writing. I closed it due in part to the economy, but also the urge to get back to writing was just too strong.

6. As a reader I know how difficult it can be to name a ‘favorite’ book, would you mind listing your top three? (Past or present authors)

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is my all time favorite, next would have to be Witching Hour by Anne Rice, and then the third would depend on my mood. Sometimes it would be the Twilight Sage when I’m in the mood for a romance, but if I want an adventure with a “sweep you away” type of story it would have to be the Harry Potter books.

7. What are some must haves when you sit down to write?

I tend to write things out longhand first, so college ruled notebooks, purple pens, a yellow highlighter, gummy bears, vanilla latte or orange soda depending on the time of day, and one unsharpened pencil for fidgeting. I also prefer an empty room as I tend to think out loud and most people find that disturbing.

8. If you became trapped as a character in a book or series, which would you choose and why? (Any book, any series, new or old)

I would love to be Scarlett O’Hara because Rhett Butler is just hot, but I have to say that I would love to jump into any of the Anne Rice horror novels…I think Marybeth Mayfair from the Witching Hour would be loads of fun!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Spiritus:When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.

Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the "in crowd", Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn't expect things to change.

But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home.

To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he was waited a century for--A second chance.

But the closer they get, the more Becca realizes that this isn't the first time she and Alastor have known each other. Worse still, is she the one responsible for his death so long ago? And if so, did he come back for love or revenge?

While this book by Dana Michelle Burnette was not entirely original, and the plot is similar to something I have come across before, it definitely still had a spooky/creepy vibe to it, making this a good Halloween read. There are a few grammatical errors, but I found those easy to overlook because the story kept me interested. Something I would really like to see in the next book, is for the past and present relationships between Becca and Alastor to be explored a little more. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Becca and her ancestral home, unfortunately I didn't make much of a connection to the characters and found the pace of the book to be rather slow. The idea of a love that transcends time and even death is a truly romantic notion and you do get a little of that in this story, but I felt it was a little rushed. And just when you thought it was all over, Dana sends you spinning off in a completely different direction. I'm looking forward to the next installation of this series, to see what happens next.

This week was a great week for me because I was able to go to two different book signings and see three different authors!

The first was Saturday October 22nd, Kelley Armstrong came to the Cookstown branch of the Innisfil Public Library. Every time I see her she does an amazing Q&A and I love listening to her talk about her books and the future of them. Sadly, 13--which comically enough is the thirteenth novel in the Women of the Otherworld series--is going to be the last in that series. Now she did mention that there could be future novellas in anthologies to come, but as of July 24, 2011, we will be saying farewell to that amazing series.

(How much of a dork am I? I forgot my camera for this one!)

Next was October 27th, I met Becca Fitzpatrick at the Brampton Chapters. She talked about how she used her own personal journal of some of her most embarrassing moments to create scenes in her Hush, Hush series.

And last, but not least, Elizabeth Miles was touring with Becca. It was a complete surprise to me, I had no idea she would be visiting as well! It was great because I got a book I hadn't planned on buying (which wouldn't be so bad if my TBR pile hadn't crossed over the 500 mark), and I was able to get Fury signed as well!

Kelley was kind enough to sign five (5) extra bookmarks for me, and I'd like to share them with you!

Rules for entry:- Giveaway ends November 5, 2011 12AM EST.- Open to Canadian and US addresses only.- Fill out the form below.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

1. Could you tell us a little bit about the world you created in 13 To Life?

The world of Junction is what I call a “thin world”—like a patina you lay over our reality through which we realize the world’s a much stranger place than we ever imagined. I’m a big believer that we tend to overlook most of the amazing moments going on around us so I used that philosophy to create Junction and Farthington.

2. Would you be willing to tell us where you see the series going?

The series is pretty much wrapped up at this point with 5 novels (13 to Life, Secrets and Shadows, Bargains and Betrayals, Destiny and Deception, Rivals and Retributions). The final two novels in my YA paranormal series release in 2012. And I think readers will like the way things get wrapped up—though there may be a brief moment where they’re ready to do me bodily harm... But it should pass quickly. I hope.

3. Which of your own characters do you most enjoy writing?

Max and Alexi. Max is easy. Hmm. Yeahhh. He has that reputation, too... Anyhow. Alexi tests me. He’s darker and more angsty. There are days you need the Alexi drama as an author (but not in real life, thanks).

4. Which of your characters do you find most difficult to write?

Jessie. I know her best, but allowing her to be herself and not steering her toward making only smart decisions is difficult. Jess is certainly not stupid but she leads with her heart more than her head and that definitely gets her in trouble.

1. Could you tell us a bit about the world you created in Bad Taste in Boys?

Well, BTIB is about a girl named Kate Grable. Kate’s a super smart med geek, and she’s the student trainer for her high school football team. She figures the experience will look good on her college apps, and as an added bonus she gets to be close to her quarterback crush, Aaron. Then something disturbing happens. Kate finds out that the coach has given the team steroids. Except...the vials she finds don’t exactly contain steroids. Whatever’s in them is turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless, flesh-eating...zombies.

Unless she finds an antidote, no one is safe. Not Aaron, not Kate’s brother, not her best friend...not even Kate...

Dum dum DUM.

2. Would you be willing to tell us where you see the series going?

Well, BAD TASTE IN BOYS will have a sequel—BAD HAIR DAY. It’s coming out in November 2012. (I know; I know. I’m so impatient about it.) BAD HAIR DAY follows Kate Grable on a new adventure involving werewolves, nanotechnology, blueberry flavored astronauts, shaved bears in lab coats, and a bath mat made out of human hair. I’m super excited about it! And then I’ll have another to-be-determined book coming out in 2013. I’m thinking it’s going to be a non-Grable book, but I won’t rule out the possibility of seeing Kate again. I like that her adventures each stand completely alone, so I can write as many or as few as people want to read!

3. Which of your own characters do you most enjoy writing?

I think Kate’s younger brother Jonah was TOO easy to write, and he ended up taking over a lot of scenes in a way I hadn’t anticipated. I didn’t expect to fall in love with him the way that I did, and it really threw me for a loop. But it was so much fun to put every single one of my geek characteristics (and a few from people I used to know) and then make him a hero.

Geeks rule. That’s all I’m saying.

4. Which of your characters do you find most difficult to write?

Aaron is very tough for me to deal with. On one hand, he’s totally the kind of guy who would rush to the rescue. But on the other, Kate is so fiercely independent that she would eviscerate anyone who put on metal pants and tried to save her…even if they looked fabulous in metal pants as I’m sure Aaron would. So on one hand, I feel sorry for Aaron because he could totally be useful if Kate would only TELL HIM THINGS. But on the other, I admire her for her determination to solve her own problems. That’s been a very tough dynamic to write.

Each day of The Crossroads Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page, and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all of the answers and email them to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by October 31st at MIDNIGHT.

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - a linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany:The sensational fourth novel in the 13 to Life series sees Jessica and the Rusakuvas fighting to overcome one of their biggest challenges yet--the possibility of a cure for lycanthropy. With the threat of the mafia seemingly gone and the company's headquarters in Junction destroyed, Pietr Rusakova is adjusting to being a normal teen and Jess is realizing normalcy may not be what she wanted after all. But both Jess and Cat know the truth--that normal can't be taken for granted. Their precious cure isn't permanent--and when a new danger stalks into their small town, Alexi decides he must overcome his issues with the mother who abandoned him to be raised by wolves and make a brand new deal to save his adopted family.

The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier:A mysterious adventure of self-discovery that reveals shocking secrets!It is 1905 and young Suzanna works at her family's inn in Loch Harbor, New Brunswick, where she is trained to be a well-mannered hostess and a charming lady. Suzanna has other ideas for her future--she wants to be a detective. When a young guest goes missing on a stormy summer night, Suzanna's famous detective uncle, and idol, comes to solve the case. But Suzanna learns that not everything is as it seems. With a little help from her friends, can she solve the mystery of the missing girl before her uncle gives up?

SpiritedAnthology:Leap Books has summoned some big names in fiction to help put together 13 ghostly stories to support a good cause. Spirited drops this October, with all proceeds to be donated to 826 National. 826 offers free after-school tutoring, workshops, and in-school programs because they believe that "strong writing skills are fundamental to future success." The authors featured in the anthology, from best-sellers to wickedly talented debuts, will participate in a chilling blog tour that's guaranteed to raise your goosebumps.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Marked:THERON—Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was lookingfor something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

This was a great introduction to Elisabeth Naughton's world of the Argonauts. The mythology she created was refreshing and drew me right into the story. There were only rare moments that I felt the story slowed down, which in turn, kept the book moving quickly. I really enjoyed the characters and am looking forward to seeing more of them in future books. The sexual tension between Casey and Theron runs rampant throughout the book and each different twist will keep you turning page after page. Elisabeth takes pieces from here and there of Greek Mythology and seamlessly mixes it with the modern day world, establishing a distinctive and intense beginning to this series.

1. Could you tell us a little bit about the world you created in My Soul to Take?

It’s a world like our own, except that bean sidhes, reapers, maras, and assorted other creatures live among us. Oh, and there’s a creepy alternate dimension called the Netherworld, which is like a warped reflection of our own world. Only evil lives there, and everything there wants to eat you. Everything. Seriously.

2. Would you be willing to tell us where you see the series going?

I see it going to the top of the best seller lists, of course!

Oh. You were serious. Okay. The series and most of the characters undergo several major transitions in If I Die, and just when Kaylee thinks she’s figured out who she really is and who she wants to be, everything changes. I foresee lots of fighting evil, tragic losses, and funny one-liners. Also, lots of kissing. My characters like to kiss. It’s their idea, not mine.

3. Which of your own characters do you most enjoy writing?

Probably Sabine. I like writing Tod too, but Sabine’s easier. Her motivations are clear, and she knows what she wants.

4. Which of your characters do you find most difficult to write?

At the moment, Nash. Poor guy just keeps stepping in mud and trailing it around. It’s a wonder he’s still standing. I love him, but he’s lots of work.

Each day of The Crossroads Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page, and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all of the answers and email them to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by October 31st at MIDNIGHT.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

1. Could you tell us a little bit about the world you created in Hunger?

HUNGER, and RAGE after it, are less urban fantasy and more magical realism. So while the notion of the Riders of the Apocalypse matters to the story, it’s much more metaphorical. An anorexic teenage girl becomes Famine; a teenage self-injurer has to decide if she wants to be War. The books focus mostly on the protagonists’ issues. That changes in LOSS – which still could be taken metaphorically, but is a much more external book than either HUNGER or RAGE. Those books are extremely internally focused; not LOSS. Consequently, there is much more world building in this third book. The readers will get to see more history of the Riders, as well as a completely different side of Death, who is a recurring character in the series.

2. Would you be willing to tell us where you see the series going?

BREATH, which is Death’s book—as well as the final book in the series—reveals…well, everything. No pressure!

3. Which of your own characters do you most enjoy writing?

Death! Death, Death, Death. (Huh. Wonder what that says about me?)

4. Which of your characters do you find most difficult to write?

Characters? Hmm, that’s a good question. I don’t seem to have trouble with the characters. Finding the right story, or the right scene – or even, at times, the right reaction – is different. Lisa in HUNGER came flooding out. Missy was a little more difficult for me to understand and embrace in RAGE. In LOSS, it took me a while before I realized just how strong Billy was. Right now, I’m getting ready to sit down and write BREATH, which is Death’s book. And I’m just a wee bit freaked out. Death is my favorite of the Riders…but he’s also the most complex. And finally telling his story is sort of like…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!...I want to get it right. Because, you know, he’s Death. ;)

1. Could you tell us a little bit about the world you created in Vamped?

The world in the Vamped series is ours, but with the living dead and other magics a reality. Gina hasn’t met a were-critter yet, but I wouldn’t count them out!

2. Would you be willing to tell us where you see the series going?

Certainly (though anyone who hasn’t yet read the first two books in the series, Vamped and Revamped, may want to skip this answer). In book three, Fangtastic, which comes out in January, Gina and her gang are still working for the Feds, who made them an offer they couldn’t refuse at the end of Vamped. Unfortunately, they’re no longer completely sure they’re on the right side. The case the Feds have them on seems fishy…tracking down killer kids who masquerade as vampires in Tampa, FL. It’s not weird all by itself that the Feds would want to solve the case, but that they’d send the Juju Brigade, as Gina calls them, after sheerly human baddies…. Compound that with the fact that the actual fanged fiends of Tampa Bay are showing an unholy interest in the killer kids, Gina is receiving mysterious messages directing her to a facility that her handlers are keeping a deep dark secret, and a few other red flags and it begins to seem that whatever’s going on might not be on the up-and-up. The fourth book, Fangtabulous, is still in the works, but I can tell you that it takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, the most haunted town in America, where some of the history comes eerily to life.

3. Which of your own characters do you most enjoy writing?

You know, usually I say Gina herself, and while that’s certainly true, I’m going to mix it up a little here. I love my goth guy Ulric in book 2:

"Relax. I'm taking you somewhere we can hear ourselves think. Unless you've got other ideas." He waggled his pierced brow at me, and I smirked before I could catch myself."Parcheesi," I answered."Strip Parcheesi?"I sneered."A purist. I respect that," Ulric said. "Poker's better for that anyway."

Yeah, Ulric’s a bit, um, direct. Maybe that’s what I love about him. In fact, I kind of can’t get enough of him. I don’t want to give anything away, but he just might make a reappearance somewhere later in the series.

4. Which of your characters do you find most difficult to write?

The bad guys. To do it right, you have to get into their heads, and that’s not generally a very nice place to be. Maybe that’s why my bad guys…or girls…are more agenda-driven than pure evil. I don’t think anyone’s ever all bad or all good, though there are some that come really, really close.

Each day of The Crossroads Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page, and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all of the answers and email them to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by October 31st at MIDNIGHT.

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)

Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading

Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post

It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week's theme is - ENDINGWORDS(Pick 2 snippets that have matching last 2 words i.e if one sentence has WIFE the other should have LIFE or KNIFE etc)

I looked straight ahead and rested the case on my lap. I needed to think of anything other than the beautiful woman seated beside me. Da. Like the reason I was here.

"You promised to return for me. And then--what? What, Alexi? You drop off the face of the planet. You disappear into the backend of the American nowhere." The gun's muzzle jabbed my temple as the carriage turned.

In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

I was lucky enough to be given a spot on Kristie's release tour for her newest addition to the Soul Savers series: Genesis. You can read my review here. Thank you, Kristie for joining me on my blog and sharing your tour with me!

Genesis is a bit different from the other Soul Savers books. Although the fantasy world I created is the same, the real world is not. After all, it takes place over 2,000 years ago, around 200 B.C. So it required a lot of research to understand life in Greece during that era. For each stop along the release tour, I’m sharing something I learned and how it ties into the story.

One of the more interesting topics I found was the role of women in Ancient Greek society. I’ve always thought of the Ancient Greeks as relatively advanced and progressive in their thinking and I always thought the idea of women being submissive to men was a biblical idea. However, in Ancient Greek society – long before Christianity – women were considered substandard.

They couldn’t be citizens – they were either property of their fathers or of their husbands or they were slaves. Baby girls were not treated the same as baby boys and were always considered secondary to males in the home. If the family couldn’t afford to raise a girl, they’d leave the infant in a public place or at a wealthy man’s doorstep to be taken as a slave. As they grew up, they learned the domestic duties of the home. At about age 13, they were considered a woman and sacrificed their toys and other remnants of childhood to Artemis. Then their fathers arranged their marriages to men twice their age.

Women were confined to their homes and if they had a large enough house, they had their own rooms called the “gynaeceum.” Husbands and wives did share a bed and their master bedroom was in the woman’s part of the house. Women were not allowed to enter the mens part of the house, where guests visited.

Women could occasionally leave their homes for special religious festivals, weddings and funerals and sometimes to briefly visit a neighbor. They sent slaves to the market, to fetch water and to run other errands. Only the poor did their own housework – they all had slaves whom they oversaw.

In Genesis, Cassandra leads a much different life. She’s been raised outside of the traditional Greek society and lives life as an outcast, but content that she doesn’t have to be confined like the women of her day. She roams the wilderness and woods at will, but has a healthy fear of villages and society, knowing she could be taken as a slave. When she’s forced to go to the market, her freedom collides with society’s rules and things go badly. You’ll have to read Genesis to find out what happens!

Genesis:A father who reveals his truth.Twins who take different paths—one light, one dark.Angels who have plans for them bothAnd Demons who do as well.So the Earthly battle for souls ignites…

A tale that is over 2,000 years old, this is the story of the Amadis beginnings.

Promise:

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy…until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel.

Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristanare a match made in Heaven and in Hell.

Purpose:Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself…but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

About the Author:

Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, with the first two books, Promise and Purpose, available now and the third book, Devotion, coming February 2012. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis, available now.

Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle.

In the meantime, we have a Soul Savers swag pack up for grabs. Just comment below to be entered. Your comments here and along all the stops gain you entries for the Grand Prize at the end of the tour (details HERE). Good luck! And I hope you enjoy the Soul Savers Series!